


Wayward

by StephirothWasTaken



Series: Genderbent AUs [6]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cheesy pick-up lines, Depression, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Female Ardyn Izunia, Female Ignis Scientia, Female Noctis Lucis Caelum, Genderbending, No Beta, Noct basically has Ardyn's abilities, Noct's unfortunate crush on everyone, Slow Burn, past self-harm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:20:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23601445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StephirothWasTaken/pseuds/StephirothWasTaken
Summary: Noctis always wondered why her father had kept her couped up in the Citadel, like a princess in silly fairytales.Sure, he lets her move into her own apartment and attend acting lessons, but it is always with an entourage of Crownsguard nearby. It makes her feel lonely, despite all of the warm bodies surrounding her, and everyone treats her like she is made of glass when she is just as powerful a Caelum as her father, the King of Lucis.Noctis is sick of it. She decides to take one night of pure freedom and escape from her apartment without her army of guards seeing her, and she finds bliss just for a few hours.When her guards find her, however, her life will change forever.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia, Noctis Lucis Caelum/Nyx Ulric, Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum
Series: Genderbent AUs [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1497593
Comments: 11
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been sitting on this chapter for a long, long time, but it's one of my favorites so far. The writing style is more along the lines of how I write outside of fanfiction, and I find Noctis adorable in this chapter in particular. Also, this story is a combination of two stories (a really dramatic pregnancy story and a steampunk version of FFXV) that felt too overwhelming to write separately. This steampunk idea is actually two years old, and it's what got me writing all of these genderbending stories (Ardyn was the first character I considered turning into a female character because he had a girl's name, technically).

**Noctis Lucis Caelum**

“Do we have to go home right now, Gladdy?”

Noctis batted her big blue eyes at Gladio, the unfortunate soul tasked with driving her home from her acting lessons. She leaned forward, too, to show off her cleavage.

Gladio rolled his eyes, but she could see the smirk on his face in his side mirror.

“Yes, Princess, we have to go home. It’s late, and—”

“And I can’t be out late. I know. I know.”

Noctis sighed, and she leaned against the car door, pressing her head against the cool glass.

“You’re a princess,” Gladio reminded her. “You can’t just do whatever you want, you know that.”

Noctis was the one to roll her eyes this time, but she said nothing, fearing that she would say something suspicious with the heaviness settling in her belly.

“And stop trying to get me to look at your boobs. There’s nothing to show off.”

Noctis knew it was his attempt at lightening the mood, but she hated the reminder she was a fully grown woman who could barely pass as a preteen. Her training with Gladio has at least given her a shapely butt that she could show off, but that was the most womanly thing about her.

“I have boobs,” she grumbled.

“I have bigger boobs.”

“Shut up, muscle head.”

Gladio’s chuckle rumbled through his chest, and she missed the days she could press herself against that chest without someone throwing a fit over it.

“Lessons going okay?” Gladio asked after a while.

“Mm-hmm. They’re fun.”

“And that kid you like still around?”

“His name is Prompto, and he’s just my friend. No need to worry about my precious virtue.”

“I’m not Ignis or your father, so you don’t have to hide stuff like that from me.”

“Yeah, well, he likes busty bimbos, so I think you’ll have a better shot with him.”

“You calling me a bimbo?”

“Just calling it like I see it.”

Large fingers dug into the back of her knee, and she shrieked as she flinched away.

“I’ll get back at you for that later.”

“It was a joke, Gladio!”

More fingers in her knee made her burst into giggles as she squirmed away.

“Stop, you dick!”

They arrived at Noctis’s apartment, and despite her plans for later, she felt that heaviness in her guts more acutely. She had begged and pleaded with her father to let her have her own apartment, but it had not allowed her the freedom she had been looking for. It had become a prison with too many guards surrounding her to make sure she remained in place.

Noctis could already see the Crownsguard stationed outside her apartment, and she fought the urge to sigh again, digging her nails into her palm.

Gladio parked the SUV, and she gathered the things at her feet as she waited for him to open her door. He lowered her onto the ground, and then he settled his hand on her upper back as they walked to her apartment building. She wanted to slot herself against his side, but the Crownsguard would gossip about it to her father, who would throw him in jail for abusing his power over Noctis.

Even if she was just a little sister to him, much to her disappointment.

It was in the elevator where Gladio enacted his revenge: he snaked his muscular arm around her shoulders and held her to him as he rubbed his knuckles on her head. She squeaked and thrashed, but his hold on her was too strong.

“Gladio, no!”

“You think I’m a bimbo, huh?”

“You are!”

Gladio moved on to assaulting her armpits, and she squirmed in his hold, laughing—the squeaky kind that she hated because of how girly they sounded.

“Someone’s got to teach you manners, you little shit.”

“Stop! Please!”

The elevator dinged. Gladio released her, and Noctis ran her fingers through her hair as they walked down the hallway together. Men in black uniforms bowed as they passed them.

“Your Highness. Lord Amicitia,” they each said.

Noctis returned the gestures with nods and fought the urge to cling to her Shield again. She tried to be content with the protective hand on her back, but it was not enough.

Gladio stood with her as she unlocked the door, and he followed her inside. He took off his boots.

“I’m surprised you’re following me in,” Noctis said as she set her things on the couch. “You have responsibilities or whatever, don’t you?”

“ _You_ are my responsibility, Noct. I’m _your_ Shield, remember?”

Noctis threw herself on her couch, and she propped her feet on her coffee table. She yawned as she pulled the throw blanket around her shoulders.

“Besides, Iggy wants me to make sure you leave some food out for tomorrow.”

Noctis pouted at the reminder of Ignis, her adoptive sister, Hand, and eternal babysitter.

“Better not be vegetables,” she said.

Gladio snorted as he went to the kitchenette, and he dug through the freezer and chucked some things into the refrigerator. He grabbed a bottle of water, and he chugged from it before he went to her and ruffled her hair.

Noctis whined, and she pulled the blanket over her head.

“You’re so mean.”

Gladio chuckled.

“Good night, Princess. Make sure you go to sleep in a proper bed. Don’t want you going to training with a crick in your neck.”

Noctis whined again in answer, earning herself another chuckle. When she heard some rustling, she lowered the blanket from her face to catch Gladio lacing up his boots.

She wanted to ask him to stay, but she knew he wouldn’t.

“Night, Noct,” Gladio said again. 

“Night, muscle head.”

With a wave, Gladio left her alone in her apartment. She could hear a muffled conversation between him and one of the overnight bodyguards—about her, no doubt—and it only lasted a minute. Noctis stood, and she went to the big open windows, wrapping her blanket around herself.

Noctis waited for Gladio to appear. She watched him get into his SUV, and she waved at him as he pulled away, even though he could not see her. Once the vehicle was out of sight, she closed the blinds and pulled the blackout curtains over them.

Then, she went to her bedroom, throwing her blanket onto the couch along the way.

Noctis shut the door to look at herself in the mirror first. Gladio had made a mess of her hair, black tresses in knots on the top of her head. She gave her reflection a look of annoyance, and she grabbed a hairbrush to clear the knots away, cursing Gladio’s name every time she felt a sharp pain in her scalp.

Once she felt satisfied with her hair, Noctis shed her shirt and her pants, leaving them on the floor, and then she went on her hands and knees at the foot of her queen-sized bed. She felt around under the bed until her fingers brushed against something—a box she pulled out and set on top of her bed.

Noctis’s heart sped in her chest as she gazed at the wide, nondescript box. It had been sitting under her bed for weeks now, and she had looked at it every time she had the apartment to herself. She lifted the lid, finding a pile of red satin and lace. Her hands trembled as she pulled it out of the box. It was a gorgeous dress that had been custom-tailored to her body, which she usually hid with oversized jackets and sweaters.

A grin spread across her face as she looked at it for the umpteenth time, and she squealed with glee as she hugged it to her chest.

Noctis set it on the bed, and she pulled out a set of black and lacey lingerie that was also custom-tailored just for her. She replaced her boring and plain undergarments with the beautiful, sexy ones. Before she put on the dress, she looked at herself in the mirror again.

The bra pushed up her breasts and made them look like actual breasts rather than the tiny nubs she was used to seeing. Her stomach was flat and toned, showing a hint of muscle that she was still developing. If she had not ruined her thighs a few years ago, then she might have appreciated how muscular they had gotten. She loved her wide hips the most.

Noctis put on her dress, grateful she had the flexibility to zip up the back without help. The dress was tight in all the ways she thought it should be, hugging her curves while also hiding the ugliness of her thighs.

Noctis felt the urge to take a picture. She rushed back into the main room to take her cell phone from her purse, and she took it into the bedroom. After turning on the lights in the room, she sat on the bed, and she held the phone over herself. Even without make-up, she thought she looked cute. The thought lifted the heaviness she had been feeling in her body.

As she positioned her phone for the perfect angle, she noticed the carbuncle figurine sitting on her bed. It was a magical totem that her father had given her as a little girl to help her wake up from a coma, and sometimes she still slept with it in her hands whenever she was having nightmares.

Noctis grabbed it and threw it into a drawer, and she felt free to go back to looking at herself on her phone. She took a few pictures of herself in varying poses, some with pouty lips and others with her free hand lifting her hair to show off a long and slender neck.

Once Noctis felt she had enough pictures, she tossed her phone to the side. She admired her figure in the door mirror once more before she went into the bathroom to put on her make-up.

Over the last couple of months, Noctis had practiced applying glamorous make-up, following tutorial after tutorial on the Internet until she knew all the ways a human being could change the shape of their faces with expertly applied make-up. When she finished, her eyes looked bigger, her cheekbones sharper, and her lips bigger and poutier.

It would have been nice to go out with something more natural because she was strangely fine with the shape of her face, but she needed to look less like Princess Noctis and more like someone else.

Like “Nightly,” as she had nicknamed herself weeks ago.

“Good evening, sir,” Noctis said, in a low, sultry voice she had been practicing for weeks since she started her acting lessons. “You may call me ‘Nightly.’”

Noctis pouted at herself in the mirror above the sink, and it turned into a smirk as she took in how different she looked.

Satisfied with her make-up, Noctis skipped all the way to her large walk-in closet, where she had a few mannequin heads holding wigs. She grabbed a bag full of wig caps and adhesive tape, and she grabbed her new favorite wig: a long blonde one. Once she had the wig on and looking as natural as possible, she had that urge to capture it again, and she grabbed her phone to take more selfies of herself, making many of the same poses as she had before.

Noctis grabbed a purse and matching stilettos from the closet. She turned off her cell phone before she tucked it into her purse, and once she was certain that she had all the things she would need while she was out, she stepped onto the balcony that was accessible only from her bedroom, putting on her heels before her delicate feet touched the cold concrete.

She ducked low to prevent any of her nighttime Crownsguards from noticing her. There were only two patrolling that side of the building, and neither of them looked up at her as she crept out there.

Royals of Lucis had access to magic that the Gods had gifted them through the Crystal, and it was their duty to protect the world from a terrifying magical disease called the Scourge. The Lucis Caelums, such as Noctis, could tap into the Crystal’s power, and while they could share bits of that power with others, no one else could match their strength gained from the Crystal.

That strength manifested itself in unique ways for each monarch. King Regis had powerful, destructive magic good for fighting wars, and he could summon shields similar to the magical Wall that surrounded the entirety of Insomnia. While Noctis could fight with her magic, she was still learning to tap into her specialties, finding that they were more subtle than her father’s, less explosive and easier for stealth.

Noctis looked at an alleyway near her apartment. There was a dumpster there, and on the side that was out of view of the guards, Noctis felt the tingle of the Crystal’s magic in the back of her skull, smelling ozone as she sent it where she wanted it. Behind the dumpster, there was a flash of blue light that condensed into a girl wearing a scarf and large sunglasses to hide her face.

The girl darted from behind the dumpster, and she screamed Noctis’s name while jumping and waving her arms around. When the two Crownsguards chased after her, the girl darted away, and Noctis focused on keeping the illusion up while she also summoned a dagger from her Armiger, an inter-dimensional pocket that allowed her to store just about anything she wanted in it.

Noctis threw her dagger, feeling the illusion putter out as she focused on warping, turning into a bright blue light that streaked from the balcony of the apartment to the area behind the dumpster. With another flash of blue light, she was standing behind the dumpster, feeling light-headed, as the illusionary magic was still difficult for her to control.

After taking a deep breath, Noctis hurried down the alley, wishing she had chosen something other than high heels to wear. She made it onto a busy sidewalk without falling on her ass, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Inevitably, she would make a fool of herself at some point, but she has not done it yet.

Noctis straightened her dress, glad that it had not ridden up her thighs enough to expose her gross scars, and she walked down the sidewalk in a deliberate direction. She exaggerated the sway of her hips, delighted when she turned a head or two. Some people even rolled their eyes at not only her but at their lovers who openly gawked at her.

There was a part of her that feared the attention she was getting. Growing up, she had become shy and awkward, happily hiding behind her large bodyguards to pretend that no one was staring at her. This attention felt different. People were looking at her as a beautiful woman rather than the Princess of Lucis and Heir to the Throne. It made her body feel light in a way she was certain she had never felt before.

Noctis’s feet ached as she reached the area of the city she had been looking for. It was only a half-hour away from her apartment, but she has never worn her ridiculously high heels for so long. Still, she has endured more pain than this because of her training, so she pushed herself onward, focusing on maintaining her confident walk.

She came across stairs leading down to a bar with half of the letters of “Yamachang’s” blacked out in the sign above the entrance, and she sashayed right into it.

There was nothing but rowdy Kingsglaives taking a much-deserved break from their duties as her father’s elite soldiers. A few of them paused in their games of pool or rough-housing to watch her make her way to the bar, but most of them were too absorbed in whatever they were enjoying to take much notice of her.

Noctis held back a grimace as she climbed onto a bar stool because her feet were sore from the walk, and she leaned forward, showing off her less-than-impressive breasts to the bartender and the gentlemen near her. It was by some miracle she managed not to bang her heels against the bar as she crossed her legs, straightening her dress to keep her scars hidden.

The bartender did not look impressed with her as he approached her, and Noctis fought the urge to tease him for his bright green _Lil’ Malbuddy_ T-shirt.

“Good evening, miss,” he said. “Can I get you something?”

“What’s the house special?” Noctis asked in her Nightly voice.

The bartender rattled off a list of his special drinks, and she took the time to scope out the men around the bar. She recognized a few of them as men she had seen in the training yards at the Citadel, but no names came to mind until her eyes settled on one Glaive in particular: Nyx Ulric.

Noctis had gone digging for his name after she had first come across him. His friends would always call him “Hero,” a nickname she had understood was them just teasing him for his reckless behavior on the field. Watching him sparring with his friends had made butterflies flutter in her belly, and for the first time, she had felt the _need_ to speak to someone who was not her father, her advisor, or her bodyguard.

It could have been something about the way he was so unapologetically Galahdian out there on the field, shaving the sides of his dark hair, leaving two beaded braids behind each of his ears, and showing off the subtle tattoos on his skin. Maybe it was the way he swaggered across the field whenever he won a sparring match or warped across the field as easily as she or her father could.

Nyx was confident in everything he did, and she could not stop thinking about him for too long. She had gone so far as learning where he liked to go when he was off duty, even though she realized how creepy that kind of behavior was.

Noctis nodded at Nyx Ulric at the end of the bar.

“May I ask what he’s having?” she asked. “The handsome man at the end?”

“A special house blend of whiskey on the rocks.”

“Get me two of that, then: one for me and one for him.”

The bartender smirked at Nyx, but he nodded. He asked for her ID first because serving alcohol to minors was a major legal offense. Noctis rooted around her purse. When her fingers found a card, she tried her best to hide the flash of light as she used her magic to change its appearance, showing that she was not only the blonde bombshell she was trying to pass as but as “Nightly Skye.”

Her age, 18, was at the very least legitimate, and she would get no one but herself in trouble for this brief excursion.

While the bartender examined her card, Noctis held her breath, afraid that the illusion was too easy for him to see through, and she felt every second as it ticked by. Then, he nodded and handed it back to her, and Noctis released her breath as she tucked the ID back into her purse.

The bartender poured an unlabeled bottle of alcohol into two glasses with ice. After he set one down on the bar for her, he took the other to Nyx, and he had a quick conversation with the ‘Glaive, who raised his eyebrows before turning his pale blue eyes to Noctis.

Her heart was beating so fast she thought for a moment that she might have been on the verge of a heart attack.

Noctis gave him what she hoped was a sexy smirk, and she brought her whiskey to her lips. It was a tiny sip because she was afraid of grimacing if it burned on the way down. She noticed one of his friends elbowing him and teasing him for the attention she was giving him, but with her heart hammering away at her ears, it was difficult to hear them.

It got worse when Nyx slid off his stool and stood next to her at the bar. He wore a strong cologne that she recognized as the gift that her father liked to commission for his Kingsglaive around the holidays. She had thought little of the scent before, but smelling it on Nyx gave her a sudden appreciation for it.

Noctis gazed at him through her false eyelashes, batting her blue eyes at him.

“This was unexpected,” Nyx said, motioning toward the glass of whiskey.

“Not a lot of women buy a handsome man like you drinks?” Noctis asked.

Those improvisation lessons, despite how nerve-wracking it had been, were paying off. She would have been a stuttering mess just a few months ago.

“Can’t say that a lot have, no.”

“Hmm, what a shame for them, really.”

Noctis eyed the line tattooed on his neck. Some scars cut across it, but she bet they had a more beautiful reason for being there. She straightened her dress to make sure it covered her worst scars.

“So, what’s your name?’ Nyx asked, eyes roaming her body in much the same way hers were roaming his.

“You may call me ‘Nightly,’” Noctis said—the line she had practiced a thousand times.

The ‘Glaive quirked an eyebrow at that.

“Nightly?” he repeated. “That’s similar to my name.”

“Oh, a coincidence because it’s similar to my actual name as well.”

Noctis leaned closer to him, allowing him a good look down her dress, and he looked, even though she had so little for him to see.

“And what’s your name, handsome?”

“Nyx.”

“Like the old goddess?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s beautiful.”

There were a few seconds of silence between them, and Noctis held back a grimace at her own awkwardness. The corner of Nyx’s lips lifted in an amused smirk. He sat down on the barstool behind him, but he never touched his drink, she noticed.

Noctis wanted to down hers and ask the bartender for more, but even she knew what a terrible idea that was. She had zero tolerance to alcohol, and she had no friends at the bar and none she could call without getting her skin flayed.

“You don’t see a lot of Insomnians come into this place,” Nyx said.

“Most Insomnians are silly.”

“But you’re different, huh?”

There was something in Nyx’s voice then. She felt it was hostility, but it also could have been something closer to amusement. Even after several acting and improvisation lessons, reading other people would sometimes leave her feeling baffled.

“I wouldn’t call myself ‘different,’ but I have dealt with plenty of old men who don’t like me because of what’s _not_ in between my legs. So, I know a bit about how cruel Insomnians can be.”

Noctis took a larger sip of her whiskey, and she managed not to wince at the sharp flavor of it. As she looked at Nyx over the rim of her glass, she caught him frowning at her. After she set her glass down on the bar, she reached out a hand and rested it on his arm. His skin was much warmer than hers.

“But all of that is so boring,” she said, pouting. “I came here to find a little fun.”

“And what kind of fun are you looking for?”

“The kind where someone beautiful takes me home and has their way with me.”

Nyx’s eyes roamed her face for a tense few seconds, and then he grabbed his glass and sipped from it.

“You don’t usually drink whiskey, do you?” he asked.

“Hm? What makes you say that?”

“The face you make every time you drink it is adorable.”

Noctis felt her face go red, and she let out a nervous laugh as she pushed the glass away.

“I’ll admit that I was trying to impress you.”

“Are you a wine kind of girl?”

“Some wines aren’t so bad, but I prefer beers.”

“The fruity shit?”

Noctis chuckled, but she nodded.

“I’m afraid so.”

Nyx waved down the bartender, and he ordered her a drink. When the bartender set her drink in front of her, she reached into her purse for some cash, but Nyx handed the bartender a card first. She opened her mouth to protest, but he spoke first:

“You buy me a drink, I buy you a drink. Fair’s fair.”

Noctis had no retort for that. She just picked up her new drink and took a sip. It was citrus-y, and there were some spices she was sure she had tasted before but could not quite place a name onto.

“This is nice,” she praised.

“It’s like a fruity version of what they’re trying to pass as Galahdian beer.”

“Nothing like what they had back home, huh?”

“Not even close.”

“That sucks.”

“Yeah, but once this war with the Empire is over, we’ll get to have the real beer.”

Noctis grimaced at the reminder of the war. It has been going on since before she was born, and if she remembered correctly, Nyx had been fighting in it before he had even been of legal age. She wanted it over, just as much as everyone else, but no one knew if there could be an end beyond the total devastation of one country. The Empire was persistent and powerful.

“That’s a nice dream” was all Noctis could think to say to that.

Nyx leaned against the bar as he watched her sip her beer, occasionally taking a sip from his whiskey.

Thanks to the beer and the half-drunk whiskey, Noctis’s body felt warm, and her head was fuzzy. It was not enough to feel out of control, but it was a pleasant feeling. She felt the urge to place her hand on his leg, and she did, keeping it on the top of his thigh as she looked at him through her eyelashes.

“Why don’t we get out of here, if you’re interested?” she asked, leaning forward so she could keep her voice low.

“And you’re interested?”

“I am.”

Nyx surprised Noctis when he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. His scruff scratched her face, but instead of feeling repelled, she surged forward. She placed her hand on his shoulder, and the other slid further up his thigh. The taste of the whiskey on his lips overpowered the beer that lingered on her tongue.

Noctis was not an experienced kisser. She had kissed one boy when she had been younger, but it was one of those awkward kisses that children gave to each other pre-puberty. It had not been one of those open-mouthed, tongue-wrestling kisses that she had always heard were amazing but had assumed she would never get to experience from someone she found attractive.

Just as Noctis felt the urge to push her tongue into his mouth, Nyx pulled away, smirking as she tried to pull him back to her.

“My place or yours, little star?” Nyx asked.

It took Noctis a moment to comprehend what he said.

“Little star?”

“Yeah, just a pet name. Do you mind?”

Noctis was afraid she would catch fire with how hot her cheeks burned.

“I don’t mind,” she admitted.

“So, where do you want to go?”

“Yours.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, very sure.”

Nyx grabbed her hand, and he slid off the barstool. He helped her down. His friends whistled and hollered at him as they walked out of the bar. Noctis’s face heated, but Nyx gave them his middle finger without turning around.

* * *

Noctis reminded herself to breathe as she walked with Nyx down the street, arm in arm like lovers in so many romantic movies she had watched on lonely nights. She still felt the buzz of the alcohol, and she fought to hold back a childish grin.

Her father would have a heart attack if he knew she was going to the Refugee Quarter. The streets were littered with trash, and she knew that crime happened more here than near the Citadel, where there was a Crownsguard officer every few yards watching for criminals. It was good she was walking with a Kingsglaive, someone who had access to her father’s magic.

Noctis’s feet hurt again, and she was afraid that she would have blisters by the end of this adventure.

But if tonight worked out, the pain would be so worth it.

“Are you warm enough, little star?” Nyx asked.

“Mm-hmm, just cold."

Nyx wrapped his arm around Noctis, and warmth bloomed in her chest. She slid her own arm around him, pressing their bodies closer together, and she smiled like an idiot.

Nyx’s apartment building was typical of most places throughout Insomnia: tall and barely passing building codes. It housed most of the city’s Kingsglaive, and more of his comrades whistled and jeered at Nyx for the blonde clinging to him. It made Noctis laugh, but Nyx’s face turned red as they walked to the elevator.

“Sorry about them,” Nyx said. “They’re dicks.”

“You seem rather popular around here. They keep calling you ‘hero.’”

“Yeah, that’s just a dumb nickname. I’m not really, uh, you know, a hero.”

Noctis was aware of his tendency to go back and save his comrades in the middle of battle, but she knew that would make her look creepy if she said anything about it.

His apartment was as small as her bedroom, a reminder that her status as a princess afforded her better living conditions than most in Insomnia.

They left their shoes by the door, and Noctis excused herself to the bathroom, taking her purse with her. The bathroom was tiny with the tub, the toilet, and the sink all crammed together, leaving her with just enough space to walk. There was at least a medicine cabinet over the sink.

The kiss had ruined Noctis’s lipstick, smudged away from the kiss she had shared with Nyx at the bar. Her wig was in no need of any readjustment, to her relief.

Out of curiosity, Noctis opened his medicine cabinet. There was a bottle of rubbing alcohol, toothpaste, and prescription sleeping pills. Other than that, it was bare and boring. She closed it with a pout, disappointed that she found nothing more fun or even scandalous.

Noctis reapplied her lipstick. Then she left the bathroom, tossing her purse onto the couch, and she found Nyx in his kitchenette, sipping from a glass of water. He held up a second glass of water to her.

Nyx said some nonsense about sobering up a little, but she went up to him, grabbed his shoulders, and stood on her toes to jam her mouth against his. He stiffened from the surprise of it, but then he melted and wrapped his arms around her to deepen the kiss.

Noctis felt his tongue run along the seam of her mouth, and she parted her lips for him. The taste of whiskey remained strong on his breath as he filled her mouth with his tongue. She pressed her own tongue against his, trying her best to mimic what she had read in books.

Nyx chuckled, the sound rumbling through his chest in a way Noctis would have thought wonderful under different circumstances, and he drew himself away.

“Yeah, definitely a virgin,” he said.

Noctis’s heart sank painfully into her stomach. Her eyes went wide.

“Wah—No, no, I—”

“Nothing wrong with it,” he assured her, giving her arms a gentle squeeze. “I could just tell you were nervous this whole time, but that little act you had was adorable.”

Noctis pouted. She lowered her heels back onto the floor. Her eyes welled with tears, and she clamped her jaw as she felt it tremble.

“I was just trying to have a little fun,” she muttered.

“You still can. I would just like to make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into, is all.”

“I meant what I said in the bar. I want this. I swear that I want this.”

“Hey, I get it. I just need to make sure, okay?”

Nyx brushed callused fingers against her cheek, and then he tilted her face toward his. He leaned down and pressed his lips back to hers. She accepted his probing tongue, but she pressed her tongue to his with less enthusiasm, trying not to ruin the moment again. Instead, she focused on running her hands down his chest, and she slipped her hands under his shirt, feeling the coarse hairs along his toned stomach.

He was much hairier than she expected him to be. Gladio had plenty of soldier training himself, but he always took the time to remove his body hair.

Except for his “happy trail,” which she was not supposed to have noticed.

Noctis dipped her fingers below his waistband. It was not far enough to touch his dick, but it was a place she had never touched anyone before. She scratched her nails through the coarse hair.

Nyx shivered, and he pulled away. He flashed her a lopsided grin.

“Let’s take this into the bedroom, yeah?” he suggested.

Noctis nodded, her heart pounding harder than what might have been healthy.

Nyx grabbed her hand, and he guided her into his bedroom, turning off the lights to the main room along the way. The bedroom was dark, only the faint purple light of the Citadel streaming through the closed blinds on the windows illuminated the space at all, revealing his bed and what might have been a desk.

Noctis reached behind her back and unzipped her dress, letting it fall to the ground. It was a shame that it was too dark for him to take a proper look at her lingerie, but she wanted to avoid letting him look at her scars, wanted to avoid ruining the night with her past issues.

Then, Noctis grabbed a handful of his shirt, and she pulled him with her on top of the bed, jamming their lips together. They scooted back on the bed until Nyx’s body covered hers. His hand skimmed her ribs and rested on her hip, and she ran her hands up his chest and looped them around his neck.

Nyx’s hand felt along her thighs, and Noctis could not stop herself from tensing. He drew away, and she did her best to follow him, to keep him from asking questions.

“You all right?” he asked. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes, yes, I’m fine,” she lied.

“Come on. I did something you didn’t like. What was it?”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t like my inner thighs being touched. With hands. Your body will be fine, though.”

“Okay.”

“I’m sorry. I know it’s strange.”

“Hey, I won’t judge. You have boundaries, and now I know what lines not to cross. Anywhere else you don’t want me to touch?”

“No, nowhere else. And, um, what about you?”

“You can touch me wherever you want.”

Nyx saved her from a nervous giggle as he kissed her again. His hand ran up her thigh again without going near her scars. Noctis sought entry into his mouth, and he allowed it. Noctis opened her legs, and he settled himself between them. Something hard poked into her belly, which she hoped was a sign that he was excited about this, too, and she lifted herself to press into it. He made a soft grunt, and he pressed into her harder.

Nyx squeezed her ass, and his other hand played with her hair, which she barely felt under her wig. She shifted as she felt his hand slip into her underwear, allowing him to push it down her thighs and then give her bare ass a squeeze with a large and calloused hand.

“Now a bad time to bring up protection?” Nyx asked in between kisses.

Noctis gasped a “yes” as she pulled him back to her, earning a chuckle from him.

“We have to be safe, little star.”

“I’m on birth control, and I’m clean.”

Nyx paused, and it was difficult to tell what he was thinking in the dim lighting of the room.

“Yeah, okay,” he said.

After a peck to the nose, Nyx drew away, but only to slip her panties off the rest of the way, tossing them somewhere onto the floor. He went back to kissing her, leaving a trail of sloppy kisses down her chin and then her throat, and his hands explored her bare sides, cupping her breasts just as his mouth reached them.

Noctis worried her lip at the thought he might want to kiss other parts of her body, that he could see the scars she had made on herself, but she reminded herself that it was dark. He had said he would avoid touching her there, and he had made good on that so far. She drew in a deep breath, and she was grateful that Nyx did not take that as his cue to stop lavishing her breasts with kisses.

Nyx reached around her back, and he unhooked her bra, which he then tossed onto the floor in the same general direction of her panties. Then his mouth went right back to her breasts, sucking on each nipple in turn. Shockwaves of pleasure went straight to her groin, and she whined as she arched her body into his touch. He left a trail of sloppy kisses down her belly, tongue darting into her navel. His facial hair scratched against her sensitive skin, and she squirmed.

“How far do you want me to go?” Nyx asked.

“Hm?”

“Does the no-touching thing mean no eating you out, or...?”

Noctis wanted more than anything to be eaten out. That was one of her favorite search terms on the Internet, but her ugly thighs always made that feel like a mere dream for her.

Writhing naked beneath a certain Kingsglaive had also always felt like a dream to her, and the room was dark. He had yet to even touch the scars, and unless he had a cat’s eyes, he could not see them in this poor lighting.

“No pressure to do anything, little star,” Nyx assured her.

“Can I touch you first?” Noctis asked, sounding too much like the virginal girl she was trying hard not to be that night.

“Touch me?”

“Your, um—Your dick.”

“Ah, yeah, sure.”

There was amusement in his tone, and her cheeks burned.

Nyx withdrew from her body to remove his clothing. Noctis resisted the urge to cover her bare thighs with her hands. She could not help but feel so exposed.

The bed dipped under Nyx’s weight, and he settled onto his side, propping his leg up to give her more room.

“Touch away, little star.”

Noctis shifted onto her side, and she looked at it with the poor illumination in the room. It was not erect but looked halfway there. She knew it was rude to compare dick sizes, especially to that of porn actors, but his was nice, long and thick—what she had been hoping for but not expected to find.

Reaching out a shaky hand, Noctis first touched his stomach. She slid her hand down, and she scratched her blunted fingernails in that place that had made him shiver before. He shivered, and she moved her hand further.

Noctis found the base of his cock, and she ran her hand up it. He was firm, and the skin was soft. She swiped her thumb over the head, and then she moved her hand down again to cup his balls.

“Does it pass inspection?” Nyx teased.

He grabbed her hand, and he placed it back onto his dick, applying some pressure. Noctis gripped him as firmly as he showed and pumped her hand up and down, feeling it grow stiffer at her touch. Warm lips touched her cheek, and she turned her head into the kiss.

“Let’s get back to you, huh?” Nyx said, and he pulled her hand away from his dick.

He guided her onto her back, and he kissed her. She widened her thighs as he kissed down her body again. Her heart hammered in her chest as she waited for him to brush against her scars and ask about them, but her clitoris was already pulsing as she imagined the things he would do with it.

Nyx’s facial hair scraped against her inner thigh. His hands were on the outside of her thighs, massaging them. She felt his breath on her most sensitive area, and she shivered. He ran his tongue around her folds, and her breath hitched at the unfamiliar feeling. She felt the urge to close her legs, but she resisted it, widening them further.

Nyx’s tongue touched that pulsing bundle of nerves, and she gasped, arching her back. He darted his tongue into her hole, and she squirmed beneath him. When he gave her clitoris a gentle suck, she lost the battle to keep her legs open and clamped her thighs around his head.

Noctis melted into a whimpering mess as he pleasured her with only his mouth. She buried her fingers into his hair, and she thrust herself toward his mouth. He hummed, sending vibrations through her.

Nyx pulled away with one final suck to her clitoris, and he chuckled as she attempted to pull him back to herself. He grabbed her hands, and he kissed her palms as he pulled them away, pressing them to the mattress on either side of her head.

Noctis tasted the saltiness of her own fluids on his lips as he kissed her, and that did not disgust her as much as she had thought it would.

Nyx ground his sizable member against her. His hands slid down her body, and she snaked her arms around his broad shoulders. He shifted, and she felt him prod her hole. She clutched his shoulders as he slid into her—

And it _hurt_.

No amount of fingering herself had prepared her for this.

Noctis gasped as Nyx sank into her. Tears stung her eyes, and she fought against the urge to wriggle away.

“You okay?” Nyx asked.

“I’m fine,” Noctis gasped. “Just need a second.”

“Tell me when to move, little star,” Nyx said.

Noctis leaned up to kiss him, and he accepted her tongue in his mouth. She kissed him until the stinging eased, and she pulled away, settling back against the bed.

“Move, hero,” she said, breathless from the kiss.

Nyx pressed kisses to her chest as he eased himself into Noctis. It continued to hurt, but it was less surprising and less sharp. He sank all the way inside of her, and he nibbled at the soft flesh of her throat as he gave her a moment to adjust.

Nyx slid out of her, and he filled her again with gentle, shallow thrusts. It felt nice this time. The pain lingered, but it was a dull ache she forgot about as pleasure built with his every movement.

Noctis clutched at his back, and she tried to meet his thrusts with some of her own. Nyx clutched her hips, and he pushed himself deeper, moving faster. Their bodies slapped together, making scandalous sounds. She felt a delicious tension in her belly, and she struggled to keep up with his rhythm.

Noctis melted into a whimpering mess again, losing Nyx’s rhythm as that tension increased in her belly. He grunted in her ear as he thrust harder and faster, and the sound made it feel even better, even _dirtier_.

Stars burst into Noctis’s vision, and she let out a final cry, arching her body into his as her inner walls twitched and warmth rolled through her. When her brain came back to the present, Nyx’s thrusts were stuttering, and he set her overstimulated nerves on fire.

With one hard thrust, he released inside of her, and she felt it painting the inside of her body. He gave a few more thrusts, and then he collapsed on top of her, wrapping his arms around her as he peppered her shoulders and throat with kisses.

“So good,” he muttered. “So beautiful.”

If Noctis could have possibly fallen more in love with the man, she did then, her mind overwhelmed with pleasure, and her heart filled with warmth at the praise. Her eyelids grew heavy as she came down from the high of her orgasm, the first she had ever had at the touch of another.

She should have gotten up and left, but she laid beneath him, body feeling like gelatin as she wrapped her arms around him.

Nyx slipped himself out of her, and he urged her with gentle hands onto her side. He curled around her, spooning her and blanketing her with his warmth. She rested her hand over his on her stomach, and she interlaced their fingers.

“When do you have to go?” Nyx slurred in a sleepy tone.

“Soon.”

“So no cooking breakfast in the morning, huh?”

“If you value your apartment, you don’t want me cooking, anyway.”

Nyx chuckled, and he pulled her closer, kissing her shoulder before he settled behind her. Noctis felt her eyelids droop as she basked in his body heat.

* * *

Noctis woke shivering. Frowning, she looked around, finding that she was not in her room, and it was not until she looked behind her, finding a certain “hero” laying on his stomach and facing the other direction, that she remembered what had happened. His thick hair was a tangled mess, and Noctis wanted to run her fingers through it, but she thought it would be better to let him sleep.

Noctis searched for a clock, and she found it sitting on top of his dresser, showing her it was past four in the morning. She blew out a sigh, and she took one last glance at the sleeping ‘Glaive. Then, she climbed from his bed, feeling the sticky mess they had made between her legs, and she searched for her clothes. She found her dress first, but as she felt for her underwear and bra, she could not find it.

Noctis would already be in so much trouble for sneaking out of her apartment, and if she walked out of the apartment building without her underwear, she would be in some deep shit.

Then her fingers brushed against something soft and lacy, and she realized it was her bra. Her underwear was just a couple of steps away. After she grabbed her purse from the couch, she took them into the bathroom. She tried to close the door without too much noise, and then she flipped on the light.

Noctis’s makeup was a wreck, and her wig had gone askew at some point, revealing her black hair and wig cap. There were also hickies all over her throat and along her collarbone. Blood had dripped down her inner thighs, making her frown, but she had little time to worry about that now.

If this was a fairytale world where Noctis could live the life she wanted, she would have loved to walk around the city displaying the markings that Nyx had left on her, but in reality, she lived in a world where she had to deal with old men who believed her a “harlot” just because she had an interest in boys.

Noctis grabbed her phone, and she took a picture of herself, preserving the image of her first night as an experienced sexual being. Sharing naked pictures of the princess of Lucis was illegal, but she had no intention of letting anyone else see it. The picture was for herself and no one else’s eyes.

After Noctis tucked her phone away, she grabbed wipes to clean up the mess between her legs and then the ruined makeup on her face. Then she applied concealer and foundation to the hickies before she remade her face. She brushed out her wig the best she could before she set it on her head again, applying new tape to hold it in place. When she had all the things she needed back in her purse, she placed the purse into her Armiger, where only she could access them.

Noctis dressed. She slipped out of the bathroom, and she was glad to see that Nyx remained asleep. There was an urge to kiss him on the cheek, but it felt wrong to do that when there was no genuine love between them. It had been a perfect night, but it had been a one-night stand, one that could never happen again.

Noctis crept her way to the door. She grabbed her heels, and she waited until she was in the hallway to put them on. With a smile on her face, the first genuine one she had made in a long time, she walked down the hallway and to the elevator.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I considered removing the part where sex is painful for Noctis because I wasn't sure how believable it would be for Noctis's character, but I left it in there anyway because it's how I wanted it to go from the beginning.
> 
> This will be unbearably slow to update because I have original stories to write, other fanfictions to finish, and a _Final Fantasy VII Remake_ (when I finally freaking get it from Amazon) to play.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! Any kudos, comments, bookmarks, and subscriptions are extremely appreciated. Stay safe everyone!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is not as happy as the first chapter, and it's from Iggy's perspective. It starts at roughly the same time as the previous chapter, too.

It was rare for Ignis to get sick.

It was rarer for her to get so sick that she would completely sleep through every sound her phone made.

When Ignis finally crawled out from under the safety of her sweat-dampened blankets, she ignored the stuffy feeling in her nose, and she reached for the cell phone she always kept at her bedside table. It was 8:47 PM. She checked her messages. There were a few from Noctis, but the latest was from Gladio, saying that he had just dropped off Noctis at her apartment and was heading home.

Ignis sent a text message back:

**Ignis:** _Thank you, Gladio. How is she?_

Ever since Noctis had survived a demon attack as a little girl, she had been prone to depression, and she had closed herself off to Ignis, becoming practically nonverbal with her in her early teens. When she had witnessed her princess being more open with Gladio, a near stranger to her at that point, she had felt the ugliness of jealousy, but now that she understood that Gladio was to be a permanent part of their lives, she used him to get a better understanding of how the taciturn girl faired.

While Ignis waited for a reply, she checked the messages from Noctis:

**Her Highness:** _I hope you feel better soon, Specs._

**Her Highness:** _I made it to my lessons, Specs. Gladio didn’t kill me._

**Ignis:** _Thank you, Noct, and do I need to remind you that Gladio is a much safer driver than you are?_

Ignis put her cell phone in her pajama shirt pocket, and then she climbed out of bed. She took a brush to her messy dark blonde hair before she went to the kitchen, a beautiful state-of-the-art kitchen that felt entirely too large when she had no one to cook for. Her phone vibrated in her pocket, and she checked it:

**Gladiolus:** _She was in a mood. Too quiet. But she gets like that after her lessons. Something to do with that Prompto kid. She doesn’t like leaving him._

Ignis had already made plenty of background checks on Prompto. He was an adopted refugee from Niflheim, and he had a clean record, not even any minor traffic violations. Now that the boy had graduated from high school, he took on two full-time jobs in addition to his acting lessons, which was perhaps the most perplexing thing about him because he had not even involved himself in a drama club before graduation. Even Noctis had tried getting involved in plays, and she has never been to a public school.

**Ignis:** _I hope you’re not driving._

**Gladiolus:** _Voice-to-text eggs_

Ignis snorted at the definite proof that it was not him typing manually.

**Ignis:** _Did she speak to you about this Prompto at all?_

**Gladiolus:** _Nothing of substance. She was just deflecting like usual. Still have a bad feeling about him?_

**Ignis:** _It bothers me that she changes when she’s around him, and I can’t tell if it’s a positive or negative change._

**Gladiolus:** _I ketchup._

Ignis bowled over her kitchen island and laughed into her hands, wheezing with all the mucus in her lungs. When she heard a second ping from her phone, she checked it, still chuckling from the silly message.

**Gladiolus:** _Still want to have a talk with him?_

**Ignis:** _I do, but I just know Noctis wouldn’t react to it well._

**Gladiolus:** _She doesn’t react to anything well._

Ignis sighed.

Gladio was the oldest of the three of them, and sometimes he acted like he was ten years younger. He sent another message before Ignis could think up a reply. It was probably better to leave that hanging.

**Gladiolus:** _And how are you feeling?_

**Ignis:** _Better. I might be back in commission within a few days._

**Gladiolus:** _Great. Almost home. Talk later._

**Ignis:** _Sleep well, Gladiolus._

Ignis tucked her phone back into her shirt pocket. She filled up an electric tea kettle. Her preferred mug was one that Noctis had made with her hands for an art project in elementary school. It was an ugly, lopsided thing that made Noctis blush every time she saw her using it, but Ignis would always be fond of the drawing of them Noctis had etched into the side before applying pink glaze to it.

With her mug full of an herbal tea for colds, Ignis sat on her couch. She wrapped a throw blanket around her shoulders. Then she pulled out her phone to look at all the emails she had undoubtedly missed while sleeping off her illness.

* * *

Ignis startled awake to the feeling of something buzzing against her chest, and she scrambled for the phone. The word on the screen was “Gladiolus.”

“Hello?” she said once she answered it, but her voice sounded dreadful because of her cold.

There were car noises on the other side.

“Noct’s missing.”

Ignis sat bolt upright, and she pulled the phone away from her face to check the time. It was 10:30.

“For how long?”

“We just figured it out. Someone came out of nowhere, and they just started yelling Noctis’s name to get her attention. The guards tried to tackle them, but they got away. When they checked on Noctis, she was gone.”

Ignis ran to the entrance of the apartment, uncaring of the fact she was wearing pajamas with no bra. She shoved her feet into her training combat boots, the only pair of shoes she had left sitting by the door.

“They got away, you said?”

“Yeah, weird, isn’t it?”

“Indeed.”

Ignis shrugged on her windbreaker, and she flung open the apartment door, uncaring if it closed properly behind her.

“And has anyone picked up anything from her phone?”

“Not a fucking thing. All we can do is send an emergency alert to citizens and look for her ourselves.”

“Damn it. Let’s hope it’s in her Armiger and not destroyed. Where are you headed?”

“I’m patrolling sector seven,” Gladio told her. “Dad’s getting six.”

“What’s left for me?”

“Iggy, your training isn’t done yet.”

“She is my sister, and I will not sit on the sidelines while she is going through Six knows what. Give me a sector, Gladiolus, or I will pick one myself.”

Gladio sighed.

“Four.”

“Thank you.”

Ignis hung up the phone, and she speed-dialed Noctis.

“Pick up. Pick up,” she said as she made her way to her car. “Fucking pick up, Noctis.”

The phone took her to Noctis's voicemail, and Ignis hissed between her teeth as she hung up and tried it a second time. She started her car, and she drove out of the parking lot much faster than was legal.

After the third attempt to call Noctis, she shoved her phone into her windbreaker pocket, and she concentrated on driving through Insomnia at illegal speeds.

* * *

After two hours of scouring the streets in search of the lost princess and constantly checking with Gladio for updates, Ignis’s left arm was feeling sore, but she had no idea if it was the beginnings of a heart attack or because she was gripping onto the steering wheel so tightly. She slowed down as she pulled out her phone for the hundredth time, ignoring the warning that the battery was down to 13%, and she called Gladio again.

“Still nothing, Iggy,” Gladio said.

“Same for me.”

“We’re getting some civilian reports about seeing some unusual people, but it’s a big fucking city, Iggy. We’re not having much luck.”

Ignis let out a string of curses.

“Is there anywhere that no one has checked yet?” she asked. “Has anyone been to her apartment within the last hour?”

“Yeah, men have already scoured the place for clues, and there are men stationed there just in case she or the kidnapper come back.”

“Have we checked with people she would have come into contact with during her acting lessons?”

“My dad sent a few people, I think. Let me check the network real quick.”

Gladio hung up on her, and Ignis made a turn that put her in the direction of the person she most wanted to investigate. She felt liquid drip down her nose, and she reached for a tissue from the glove compartment. After a minute, Gladio called her back.

“I’ve got clearance to investigate Prompto. You can meet me there, and don’t do anything until I get there. You’re not Crownsguard yet, Iggy. You’ll get both our asses in trouble.”

“I will do whatever it takes to find Her Highness, Gladio, my job be damned.”

Gladio cursed as he hung up the call. Her phone alerted her that she now had only 10% battery left, and she prayed they would find the missing princess before she ran out completely. She did not even have her phone charger with her.

Prompto lived in the Refugee Quarter of Insomnia. His adoptive family had been wealthy, so it had surprised Ignis when she had first discovered that the boy had gone to the poorer section of the city after graduating from high school. It worried her now to think she might be there. It was known for being dangerous for ordinary citizens, and she hated to think what would happen to a princess of a family unpopular with refugees.

Ignis spotted the apartment building, and she turned into the parking lot faster than she should have. She took over two parking spots when she stopped. Her heart hammered in her chest and she made a silent prayer to the Gods that they would find Noctis soon.

“Iggy!”

Gladio’s deep voice was unmistakable as he called to her. Ignis spotted him running across the parking lot toward her. Much like Ignis, he had been prepared for bed when the news that Noctis had gone missing reached him. He wore Crownsguard issue sweatpants, and he had put on a leather jacket but wore no shirt beneath it, showing off the beak of his enormous bird tattoo on his left breast. His thick brown hair was an unkempt mess on his head.

“You ready?” Gladio asked.

“I believe he’s on the third floor?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

They both ran into the building. Gladio ran ahead of her with his longer, thicker legs. A guard sat behind a desk, and he looked dead tired as he stared at camera footage on a computer monitor until he turned to them. His eyes widened as he took in the imposing figure of Gladiolus.

“Ah, can I help you, sir?” he asked.

Gladio pulled out a Crownsguard badge from his pocket, but Ignis passed the desk and waited right by the door. She jiggled the handle just in case, but it was locked.

“Official Crownsguard investigation,” Gladio said. “We need access into this building.”

“Right, sir. I’ve heard about the emergency. I’ll let you in.”

The man fumbled with his mouse and keyboard before he electronically unlocked the door. Both of them were too impatient and keyed up to wait for the elevator, so they ran upstairs. People swayed with drunkenness and their drug hazes as they passed them. Once they reached the third floor, they could hear the thudding of a loud party somewhere in the building, but the sound faded some as they rushed down the hall to Prompto’s apartment.

Gladio pounded his fist against Prompto’s apartment door, and there was a loud thud followed by some cursing. He leaned his head near the door so he could hear everything happening inside.

“Ah! I-I’m coming!” someone called from inside.

They heard the door lock click, the deadbolt slide open, and a chain lock, and then the doorknob turned. Gladio pressed against the door, and something thumped against it on the other side of it. Someone—presumably Prompto—gave nervous spluttering.

“Crownsguard investigation,” Gladio said, speaking loud and deepening his already deep voice. “Prompto Argentum?”

“Yeah, that’s me—um—”

“We’re looking for the princess. Is she here with you?”

“No, I don't know where she is or—or where she could be or anything.”

Gladio stepped deeper into the apartment, eyes scanning the small space. Ignis pushed her way in behind him, and she shut the door so she could see Prompto. She stood by the door to prevent the suspect from making a run for it.

The boy was shorter than her—maybe even shorter than Noctis. His blond hair laid flat on his head, and his pale lavender eyes were red-rimmed and shiny with tears. He clutched his cell phone to his chest as he watched Gladio walk toward his bedroom, and he adjusted his glasses as he turned to Ignis.

“Mind if we look around to ease our minds?” Ignis said just as a formality because the search was happening whether Prompto liked it or not.

“That’s okay,” Prompto said. “I’ve been trying to contact Her Highness since the emergency alert, but she isn’t answering any of my calls or my texts.”

“Did she contact you after your acting lessons?” Ignis asked.

“No, she hasn’t said anything to me.”

Ignis held out her hand for the phone, and Prompto handed it to her with no fuss, to her surprise. She went straight to his messages. He had a few from his mother and father, but it was just greetings and not much of substance.

“Do you know where she might be or anyone who might have taken her?” Ignis asked without looking up from the phone.

“No, I can’t think of anyone that I know personally, and I don’t know where she might be.”

The last few messages he had sent to Noctis—and he just called her “Noct” on his phone—were just him begging her to message him or answer his calls because he was worried about her. As Ignis kept scrolling, she looked for anything that would provide clues about anyone who might have taken her or about where she might be. She found mostly the two of them ribbing each other about their scores in games they played together.

“She’s not here,” Gladio said as he emerged from the bedroom.

Ignis sighed, and she went to push her glasses up her nose only to realize she had forgotten them at home. She handed Prompto’s phone back to him.

“Thank you for your cooperation,” she said. “If you see Noctis or learn anything about her whereabouts, please inform the Crownsguard.”

“I will,” Prompto said, bowing to both of them, and Ignis noticed the reddening spot on his forehead as he straightened. “I hope you find her and she’s safe. Is there anything I should do? I mean—”

Gladio slammed the door shut harder than necessary, and the boy was reduced to nervous splutterings again. Ignis had to rush to keep pace with the fuming Gladio, who again slammed the door too hard as they reached the stairwell.

“His phone had nothing useful on it,” Ignis said.

“He could have deleted it,” Gladio said.

“We’ll worry about that once we find her.”

The guard called “Good luck” to them as they passed him.

“I think I’ll scout around her apartment,” Ignis said before they went to their separate vehicles. “Just in case she’s made it back to the area.”

“Gotcha” was all Gladio said as he went back to his vehicle.

Ignis checked her phone after starting her vehicle to see if she had missed anything, and she cursed when there was nothing. She took a deep breath, and then she drove to the princess’s apartment building. It was one of the shorter apartment buildings around Insomnia, but it was high class and one of the most expensive. There were a few Crownsguards around the building.

A bright flash of blue caught her attention.

Ignis took a loop around, and she smelled that familiar scent of Lucian magic as she neared an alleyway. As she looked, she caught some movement behind a dumpster, and she stopped the car, cursing herself for leaving behind her glasses because now it was more difficult for her to see longer distances.

A head popped up from behind the dumpster but immediately popped back out of sight, and Ignis summoned a dagger from the Armiger before stepping out of the car.

“Who’s there?” she called.

She heard a familiar sigh, and she picked up her pace as she walked into the alley.

“Noctis?”

The figure behind the dumpster stood. It was a blonde woman, wearing a rather revealing red dress. She wore too much make-up on her face, but Ignis was certain she could recognize the face beneath that make-up even if she were wearing a veil.

Ignis’s heart fluttered as her princess stood in that alleyway, squaring her shoulders.

“Hey, Specs,” she said—nonchalantly like the Crownsguard had not been spending the last few hours scouring the city in search of her.

Ignis sent her dagger back into the Armiger, and she ran up to Noctis. She cupped her face with both of her hands as her eyes scanned her for injuries, and Noctis looked at her like she was bored.

“Noctis, we’ve been looking all over the city for you! Are you injured?”

“I’m fine.”

Ignis pressed her princess to her chest for a hug. The younger girl stiffened at her touch, but she offered no protests. She realized Noctis was much taller than usual, and she took a step back to take a better look at her, noticing the heels.

“And what on Eos are you wearing?”

Noctis rolled her eyes as Ignis took off her windbreaker and draped it around her shoulders. Despite her annoyance with her, Noctis slipped her arms through the sleeves and held the windbreaker closed around herself.

“What happened?” Ignis asked as she took Noctis’s elbow and pulled her to her car.

“Are you taking me to my dad?”

“Yes, Noctis, absolutely, and I doubt he will allow you to step foot outside the Citadel ever again after all of this.”

Noctis remained silent as she climbed into the car.

“What happened, Noctis? Please answer my question.”

“I would rather talk about it with my dad.”

Ignis sighed, but she nodded. She reached for her phone, but then she realized she had put it in her windbreaker, which was now around Noctis.

“Here,” Noctis said.

Ignis turned to her, and she held out her cell phone to her. She took it.

“Thank you.”

She called Gladio.

* * *

“You purposefully escaped your apartment without any bodyguards?” King Regis said, breathless with incredulity.

Upon arrival at the Citadel, Crownsguards, including Gladiolus and a cranky Cor “The Immortal” Leonis, had swarmed Ignis’s car and escorted Noctis straight to her father’s chambers, where a physician had quickly shooed everyone out of the King’s personal sitting room to check over the princess before anyone had the chance to grill her over what had happened.

Once the physician had emerged, it was to alert everyone that she was perfectly fine.

King Regis, Cor, Gladio, Gladio’s father Clarus, and Ignis all burst into the sitting room to beg Noctis for information about what had happened, and given her state of dress, it should not have surprised them she had left her apartment on her own, no kidnappers involved.

Noctis nodded. She looked so solemn as she stared at the floor, so small as she pulled Ignis’s windbreaker tighter around herself. Her wig sat on the arm of the chair, and her black hair flowed down one shoulder.

“Yeah, I warped out of the apartment when no one was looking,” she said.

Clarus sighed, and he dropped his face into his hands. Cor narrowed his icy blues as he watched her. Gladio looked just as baffled as Ignis felt.

“Why?” Regis asked. “Why on Eos would you do that?”

“I wanted to know what it was like to walk around Insomnia without an army of men following me.”

“It’s _dangerous_ , Noctis! You could have been killed or worse!”

“I know. I’m sorry, Father.”

Regis’s face morphed from incredulity to anger.

“‘Sorry’ hardly makes up for all the manpower spent on finding you. What you’ve done was beyond selfish. You put not only yourself but the entirety of Insomnia in danger. There is no other heir who can take over the throne when I become unable to maintain the Wall.”

Noctis’s face was carefully blank, an expression she wore all too often, and Ignis felt a pang in her heart as she watched the princess’s eyes roam the room, carefully avoiding looking anyone in the eye.

“Starting tonight, you are to live inside the Citadel from this point onward. I will confiscate your phone. Until I know that you won’t be so reckless, I will not allow you to speak to that boy—whatever his name was.”

“I left it at home,” Noctis said, voice so small.

“The Crownsguard has already searched your apartment. I already know that’s a lie, Noctis.”

Regis held out his hand while giving her a stern glare. Noctis shook her head.

“It’s in my Armiger, and I wish to keep it there.”

Both Regis and Noctis had their own Armigers, and they had sole domain over them. Each could grant others access to their Armigers, but if they decided no one else could touch something in them, then no one could do anything about it without tampering with the sacred Crystal.

“Then you may no longer attend your acting lessons,” Regis said.

Noctis’s eyes widened. She released her death grip on Ignis’s windbreaker to point to her chest.

“Father, I paid for those lessons with my own money—”

“You have been reckless, and now you must bear the consequences to earn my trust in you back, Noctis. If you will not release your cell phone to me, then I will not allow you to attend those lessons. They have clearly been a poor influence on you, anyway.”

The princess wilted before her father, melting into Ignis’s windbreaker. Her chin wobbled, and mascara-darkened tears streaked her face.

Ignis wanted to embrace her or at least grasp her hand, but she knew better than to try that in front of her father or his personal bodyguards. It would be too embarrassing.

“Does this make you change your mind about handing over your phone?” Regis asked.

Noctis turned up her tear-streaked face to his, and she shook her head.

“We’ll speak more on this soon, Noctis,” Regis sighed, and he looked at Gladio and Ignis. “It’s late, and we’re all tired. Gladiolus, Ignis, please escort Noctis to her chambers.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” they said at the same time, bowing to their king.

Noctis stood, and she marched right past Ignis and Gladio. The two looked at each other, and Gladio rolled his eyes before turning to follow her. Ignis grabbed the blonde wig before leaving the room. She walked as quickly as she could in her heels, but their longer legs kept pace with her easily.

Ignis was grateful that Gladio said nothing as Noctis led the way to her chambers. The two of them got along well, but Gladio had a big mouth that sometimes sent Noctis’s mood spiraling further into depression, which could have disastrous consequences that would take years of therapy to get over. 

Not that Ignis had any experience with that.

They reached Noctis’s chambers, which she had not seen in several years. She strolled into the room without worrying about the lights or her heels. Gladio watched her disappear into the darkness of the room. A door clicked open and then shut. He turned to Ignis, and he shook his head.

“I don’t understand what’s going on in her head,” he said in a low tone to keep Noctis from hearing him. “She could have gotten hurt or killed out there.”

“Noctis was never good at communicating things with us,” Ignis sighed. “I’ll set up an appointment with her therapist as soon as possible, and maybe she’ll come to us with answers on her own.”

“You know this shit wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t talked Regis into letting her have her own place.”

“She was depressed because we were keeping her here against her wishes. We could be dealing with a worse situation if she had never gotten that apartment.”

Gladio opened his mouth to argue, but he ended up snapping his mouth shut, thinking better of whatever it was he had been about to say.

“I know that,” he huffed, “but damn it! This is bullshit!”

“You’re tired, and you’re angry. I feel much the same, Gladio. Let’s all get some rest so we can approach her about this with a cool head.”

“Look, I haven’t said a damn thing to her about it yet, so no need to lecture me about keeping a cool head.”

“I’m not lecturing you.”

“You’re going to.”

Ignis huffed as she rolled her eyes toward the darkness of Noctis’s chambers.

“Please go home with your father. I’ll stay in her chambers for tonight, and—”

“Fuck that. I have a room here, too.”

Gladio walked into the room. He turned on the lights as he took off his boots. Ignis bit back a few words, and she followed him, slipping off her training boots and leaving them by the door.

Ignis set Noctis’s wig onto the table near the door before she went to the royal bedroom, where she assumed she would go. She ignored Gladio telling her not to coddle her, gritting her teeth as she held back the urge to remind him it had been Ignis who had walked in on Noctis during one of her worst moments and would very much like to avoid seeing it again.

Once she reached her room, Ignis flipped on the light, and there was a small, trembling lump under the blankets of a queen-sized bed adorned with all black blankets. Her bare feet protruded from one side. Ignis wanted to cover those feet, but she knew Noctis would not appreciate the gesture at the moment.

“Noct,” Ignis whispered, “wouldn’t it be best if you washed up before you went to bed?”

But her princess said nothing. She only slid her feet under the covers, hiding herself completely from her, and she sniffled.

“I know that what your father did seems harsh, Noctis,” she continued, “but he made that decision to protect you. In a few months’ time, I’m certain he’ll let you continue your lessons.”

“I’m not hurting myself, Specs,” Noctis huffed, voice thick with tears. “You don’t have to check on me.”

Images of a girl flashed through Ignis’s mind—of a girl sitting on the edge of the bathtub, peering at her through black fringe as blood dripped off the tip of a knife.

Ignis felt pangs in her chest, and she rested her hand over her heart, fingers brushing against the skull pendant at the hollow of her throat. Her eyes went warm, and she sucked in air through her nose while her jaw trembled. She cleared her throat.

“Forgive me, Noct,” she said, voice thick with tears of her own, “but I will always feel the need to check on you.”

Ignis said nothing else as she left Noctis to her darkness.

* * *

Ignis woke to the sound of some commotion, and she flung her blankets off herself and ran out of the room and toward the sound, summoning a dagger into her hands. A girl standing in the kitchen gasped and dropped a bag of something as she saw her rushing into the room. Her eyes went wide, and she pressed herself to the counter behind her.

“M-Miss S-Scientia!” the girl stammered, and she bowed.

It took several blinks for Ignis to realize she wore the all-black uniform of a servant, and she felt her shoulders relax as she let her dagger fall back into the Armiger. She cleared her throat, and she went to push up glasses that were not on her face but sitting on a side table at her apartment. A wetness beneath her nose reminded her of her unfortunate cold, and she looked around the room for anything to wipe her nose on, covering her nose with her hand.

“My apologies,” she said. “I didn’t sleep very well.”

The servant straightened, picking up the loaf of bread she dropped as she went, and she looked relieved.

“I’m sorry for waking you, miss.”

“It’s all right. I see you've brought us food.”

“Yes, miss, and some spare clothes for all of you.”

“Good. Thank you. I shall leave you to it.”

Luckily the servant had also brought paper towels, and she took care of her runny nose.

Ignis left the kitchen, and she went to Noctis’s bedroom, where she found not only a lump under the blankets but her princess’s bare feet poking out again. When she paused, she could hear Noctis’s soft breathing, and some tension left Ignis’s body. She went up to the pair of feet, and she gently slid them back under the covers.

Then, she crept out of the room. She came across a freshly showered Gladio rubbing his hair with a towel. There was no anger in his expression at the moment, but Ignis felt herself tense anyway, waiting for that anger to come back.

“Is she still asleep?” Gladio asked as he plopped himself into a chair.

“Yes,” Ignis answered.

“How many times did you get up to check on Noctis before you finally went to sleep?”

“I hardly think that’s worth ridiculing me over.”

“I’m not trying to make fun of you. I got up three times myself.”

The confession surprised Ignis. It was rare for Gladio to admit things that most would consider a weakness, especially when he was angry.

“Seven times,” Ignis said, “and I don’t think I slept for more than an hour before I heard a servant come in with food for Noctis.”

“Yeah, I didn’t sleep much either. I got up to take an early run.”

“Ah, I wish I had thought of that.”

An awkward silence fell between them. Ignis felt liquid drip from her nose, and she covered her face with a gasp. She was just about to dart to the kitchen as Gladio thrust a handkerchief toward her.

“Here,” he said, smirking.

Ignis took it, and she wiped her nose.

“Thank you. I dirtied all of mine this week, and I haven’t had the energy to clean them.”

“Yeah, I get it. Why don’t you head back to bed? You need to rest.”

“As if I could fall asleep again after everything that’s happened.”

“I’ll keep an eye on her, Iggy. You don’t have to worry.”

“Forgive me, but nothing has stopped me from worrying about her even during the best of times.”

Gladio nodded, and a strange look flitted across his face, a brief downturn of his mouth and an aborted movement in his eyebrows. Ignis had no idea how to interpret it.

“I’ll take a quick shower,” she sighed, “and then I’ll get breakfast started.” 

“Should we wake her up?” 

“Eventually, yes, but we should wait until I can make some food. She’ll be difficult to rouse.” 

“Yeah.” 

Ignis headed toward the guest rooms to take a shower.

* * *

Ignis had opted to make muffins, something that would be easy enough to make and tasty enough to lift Noctis’s spirits in some small way. She took one very large cinnamon crumb muffin with her into the bedroom, hoping she could coax the princess out of bed.

“Noctis, I’ve brought breakfast,” Ignis said.

Ignis opened the curtains, illuminating the space with bright sunlight, and then she rested a hand on Noctis’s ankle over the blanket. It took several shakes of her foot before she moved her feet away from her, curling herself into a tight ball. She set the muffin on Noctis’s bedside table.

“I’ve made muffins: cinnamon crumb, your favorite.”

Ignis shook her foot again, and Noctis only sniffled. She sighed, and she yet again reached up to adjust those non-existent glasses.

“I have to leave the apartment,” Ignis said. “Gladio will remain here to watch over you. Should you need anyone, call for him.”

She paused, part of her hoping that Noctis would ask her to stay—like she used to when they had been children.

“Please consider eating,” she said when she realized Noctis was not up to saying anything. “I don’t wish you to fall ill.”

Ignis felt her heart clench as she waited for an answer and received none. She patted Noctis’s feet over the blanket, and she turned from the bed.

“I will return soon, Noctis,” she said.

Ignis left the room. When she stepped into the main room, Ignis found Gladio standing near the doorway, leaning against the wall. His mouth was pinched with anger.

“She didn’t come out?” Gladio said.

“We can’t force her to,” Ignis warned. “It could make things worse.”

Gladio rolled his eyes, but he said nothing. He crossed his arms and glared at the floor.

“I have to leave to retrieve my glasses, and I want to collect Noctis’s things from her apartment,” Ignis told him. “I will have to leave the two of you alone. I trust that you will be civil and kind while I am gone?”

Gladio sighed.

“I’ll just watch and listen,” he promised. “I’ll keep you updated on everything. I won’t do anything that you won’t approve of. You can feel safe leaving us alone.”

“That’s all I can ask for,” Ignis said, nodding, and she touched his arm. “Thank you.”

Gladio nodded in return, but his irritation with her remained clear with the tension of his jaw. Ignis sighed, and she left the apartment.

* * *

The area around Noctis’s apartment building was eerily empty. There were none of the usual Crownsguards keeping watch over the place, and with the area blocked from the public, none of the usual citizens walked along the streets. 

The Crownsguard had left Noctis’s apartment a mess. Couch cushions were on the floor. Her purse had been overturned and tossed to the side, and toiletries and her personal items sat on the coffee table. Some kitchen cabinets were open during the Crownsguards’ desperate search for clues of the princess’s whereabouts.

Ignis sighed, and she straightened up the mess. After she had Noctis’s purse full of her personal things again, she banished it into the Armiger. She took out Gladio’s cooler, finding that he had left a bottle of beer in it, and she filled it with the contents of the refrigerator before sending it back into Noctis’s little pocket dimension.

After Ignis sent a text to Gladio about the food in his cooler, she went into Noctis’s bedroom. The blankets were overturned and on the floor. She picked up the clothes around the room, which would have been littering the floor even before the Crownsguard had come and ransacked the place, and she banished them into the Armiger. Then, she went to work cleaning out Noctis's drawers.

Ignis found Noctis’s carbuncle figurine sitting beneath an overturned drawer, and she could feel its magic thrumming against her hands as she held it. She was glad it was wooden instead of something more fragile. She would have hated to see it broken. It had been such an important gift to her from her father. Instead of banishing it to the Armiger, Ignis stuck it in her pocket because she was uncertain what effect the Armiger’s magic would have on it.

Ignis’s phone, which had charged throughout the night thanks to Gladio, vibrated in her new windbreaker’s pocket. It said “Gladiolus” on the screen, and she answered it immediately, heart speeding in her chest with worry for Noctis.

“Gladio?”

“She’s fine,” he said, but his voice was low. “Sort of.”

“Sort of?”

“I heard her screaming, and when I checked on her, she looked really freaked out and started talking about someone in her room. I looked around, and I didn’t see any sign of anyone being around. She said it was just a nightmare, but there was something off about her. I figured I should let you know.”

Ignis frowned at the floor as she listened. Noctis had had her fair share of nightmares before, but that was odd behavior even for her.

“That is strange.”

“Has she ever done that before?”

“Not to my knowledge, no.”

“Well, whatever happened, it seemed to kick her butt into gear. She’s taking a bath, and I got her to eat some of the muffin you made her this morning.”

Ignis had no idea if the jolt in her spine was for the old jealousy she used to feel toward Gladio resurfacing or her worry over what Noctis was really doing in the bathtub, but neither emotion was welcome. Noctis had had access to weapons for years, and she has never used them on herself, after all, and Gladio had just as an important a duty to Noctis as Ignis did.

She took a deep breath before she continued:

“I will be back soon. Most of Noctis’s things are in the Armiger. Make sure she knows.”

“Yeah, I’ve been checking on her so I’ll tell her next time I bug her. Are you done looking through her apartment yet?”

“I still have to go through her bathroom and her closet, but that shouldn’t take too long.”

“Yeah, okay. See you whenever.”

Gladio ended the call, and Ignis sighed as she tucked her phone back into her pocket.

Ignis straightened the blankets on the bed, and then she went to the walk-in closet. Clothes, mannequins, and wigs were on the floor. One mannequin had its face broken, and while she had no love for the creepy things, she felt a spark of anger at seeing someone so careless with Noctis’s property, especially when it was something Noctis took so much pride in. She threw the wigs and mannequins into the Armiger, and she put as many clothes as she could fit into luggage bags before throwing everything into the Armiger.

Ignis finally went into the bathroom. There was much less there to destroy. They had rummaged through the medicine cabinet and left it wide open. Packages of pads and tampons littered the floor, spilling out from the open counters. A bottle of shampoo sat open on the floor, but it looked like there had been little left in the bottle before it had spilled, making the clean up rather easy.

Ignis picked up the pads and tampons and stored them in the Armiger. She went to work cleaning up the medicine cabinet, and she stuck the basic essentials, like toothpaste, into the Armiger. There were two pill bottles, too—

Ignis blinked at the two pill bottles. They were antidepressants. Noctis had been taking antidepressants for years, but the seal was intact. Two full bottles told Ignis that Noctis had not been taking them at all for some time. Seeing them made her wonder why Noctis would choose to suffer through her mental illness without them.

If she had been uncertain that the King had already turned off Noctis’s cell phone service, she would have called her princess right then, but she would have to wait until she made it back to the Citadel. A weight settled in her stomach the entire way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Iggy finding Noctis is pretty coincidental, but hopefully it's a forgivable writing offense. Also, it's on purpose that she's struggled to get into the Crownsguard more than canon-Iggy because of non-canon-Noct's past actions.
> 
> I have a better idea about where I want this fic to go (and it's going to be rather long), but I'm still working on the outline. Next chapter we'll be back to Noct's perspective. There should be a random side chapter coming soon-ish.
> 
> This will be unbearably slow to update because I have original stories to write, other fanfictions to finish, and a _Final Fantasy VII Remake_ to play (a million times over).
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! Any kudos, comments, bookmarks, and subscriptions are extremely appreciated and highly motivating. Don't be afraid request anything you'd like to see to from this fic, like moments from other perspectives.


	3. Intermission 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I thought of this, I thought it was funny, but it ended up becoming a short something with a tonal issue.

**Regis Lucis Caelum**

“No, assassination is not an option.”

Regis felt the handle of his teacup bend under his magic, and he set it on the saucer on his desk. The computer screen before him looped the security footage they had found of Noctis in her disguise entering some dive bar and leaving with Nyx Ulric, a man he had previously respected as a good soldier, and the more times he saw it, the more he felt the rush of fire magic through his fingertips.

“Reggie,” Clarus sighed, “calm down before you set the Citadel on fire.”

“Would you be so calm, Clarus, if this was Iris?”

“Considering Iris is thirteen, I don’t think the situation would be comparable.”

“You know what I mean.”

The tea in Clarus’s cup evaporated, and the Shield sighed again as he set the cup down.

“You’re being irrational.”

“Regarding the safety of my daughter?”

“That’s not what you’re angry about.”

“How am I not supposed to be angry about a man taking home my daughter, who is nearly half his age?”

“Ulric is innocent in this. Noctis was purposefully wearing a disguise, and she’s of age. The only person in the wrong is _Noctis_ for breaking protocol and misusing her magic—magic different from yours, might I add. He wouldn’t even be able to recognize it as magic because no one outside a very small circle of people are even aware of it.”

“Shouldn’t he have asked for her ID before taking her home?”

“The bartender checked her ID before serving her a drink, but she somehow got a hold of a convincing fake. No one at that bar was aware of her actual identity.”

Regis scoffed, but he realized he had nothing left to justify his anger toward the man who had likely taken his daughter’s virginity while the rest of the city was scrambling to find her. 

Clarus clapped Regis on the shoulder.

“This incident reminds me of you a bit,” he said. “You didn’t meet Aulea by following protocol. Mors sent half the Crownsguard to find you, and they found you chatting with some waitress working in the outskirts of the city.”

The mention of his late wife sent pangs in his chest. It might have been eighteen years since her death, but he felt her absence every day, doubly so whenever he caught her beautiful eyes in Noctis’s face. 

The heat in the room dissipated, but Regis felt an icy weight press upon his shoulders, adding to his burdens as a king. 

“Aulea would have made her happy,” Regis said, recalling the look of despair on Noctis’s face the moment he had told her she could not attend her acting lessons.

“You’ve done the best you could,” Clarus said, voice soft as he leaned forward to turn off the looping security footage. “Raising a child during a war isn’t easy, and I know your father wasn’t exactly a paragon of good parenting.”

Regis nodded at that, pangs rising in his chest at the thought of him being anything like his father. He was grateful every day that he had grown up with friends who had helped him understand that the verbal abuse he had endured as a boy had been wrong, and it had helped him learn how to be a better father to his own daughter.

Or so he had thought. Regis wished the previous night had been the first time she had displayed self-destructive behaviors.

“Might I suggest you spend time with her in a few days?” Clarus said. “It’s been quite a while since the last time the two of you sat down to talk to one another.”

Regis’s eyebrows came together as he wondered when he had last spoken to her. He had congratulated her for graduating high school, but it had been such a brief exchange between them. They had had birthday plans before that, and he had canceled them last minute. It might have been that last part that explained the withdrawn look on her face as he had expressed how proud he was of her accomplishments.

“Perhaps I’ve been far more neglectful of my daughter’s needs than I had realized,” Regis sighed, and he sagged against his chair, holding his arm rests in a death grip.

Clarus’s expression softened into a sympathetic look.

“I can ask your advisors to rearrange your schedule for you over the next week,” he said.

“Yes, please do that. Thank you, Clarus.”

Clarus nodded, and he pulled out his cell phone to do just that.

“But the first thing I need to do is ask Noctis herself,” Regis added, “if that is what she would like. I’ll visit her in a few days and ask her. It’ll be a surprise.”

Clarus quirked up an eyebrow at that, but he nodded.

“All right.”

Regis nodded, but the torrent of emotions in his body did not ease with the determination to be a better father to Noctis. She could reject any idea of repairing their relationship, and Regis would be helpless to do anything about it. They had spent so little time with each other over the last decade that the two of them were practically strangers.

There was one thing under his control, however.

“And let’s bring Nyx Ulric in for questioning,” he said.

“No, you can’t kill him, Reggie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been trying to get at least one project updated every Thursday, and I hope that means things will get updated more often. I'll still be pretty slow to update this project, though.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! Any kudos, comments, bookmarks, and subscriptions are extremely appreciated and highly motivating. Don't be afraid request anything you'd like to see to from this fic, like moments from other perspectives.


End file.
